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United States

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

Form 10-K

 


 

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

 

Commission file number 1-11929

 


 

Dover Motorsports, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware   51-0357525

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 

1131 North DuPont Highway, Dover, Delaware 19901

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(302) 674-4600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 


 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Class


 

Name of Exchange on Which Registered


Common Stock, $.10 Par Value   New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $58,791,064 as of June 30, 2004 (the last day of our most recently completed second quarter).

 

As of February 28, 2005, the number of shares of each class of the registrant’s common stock outstanding is as follows:

 

Common Stock -

  17,061,426 shares

Class A Common Stock -

  23,240,185 shares

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference

 

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement in connection with the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held April 27, 2005 are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10 through 14 of this report.

 



Part I

 

References in this document to “the Company,” “DVD,” “we,” “us,” and “our” mean Dover Motorsports, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

 

Item 1. Business

 

Overview

 

Dover Motorsports, Inc. is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. Its motorsports subsidiaries operate five motorsports tracks (four permanent facilities and one temporary circuit) in four states and promoted 16 major events during 2004 under the auspices of four of the premier sanctioning bodies in motorsports - the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (“NASCAR”), the Indy Racing League (“IRL”), the National Hot Rod Association (“NHRA”) and the Champ Car World Series (“CCWS”). The Company owns and operates Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware; Nashville Superspeedway near Nashville, Tennessee; Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri; and Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee. The Company also organizes and promotes the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in California.

 

In 2004, the Company promoted the following major events:

 

  2 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events;

 

  6 NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division events;

 

  4 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events;

 

  1 Champ Car World Series event;

 

  1 IRL Indy Car Series events; and

 

  2 NHRA national events.

 

The Company generates revenues primarily from the following sources:

 

  ticket sales;

 

  rights fees obtained for television and radio broadcasts of the Company’s events and ancillary rights fees;

 

  sponsorship fees;

 

  luxury suite rentals;

 

  hospitality tent rentals and catering;

 

  concessions and souvenir sales and vendor commissions for the right to sell concessions and souvenirs at our facilities;

 

  track rentals and other event-related revenues; and

 

  non event-related revenue from its grandstand rental business.

 

Dover Downs, Inc. was incorporated in 1967 and began motorsports and harness horse racing operations in 1969. As a result of several restructurings, Dover Downs, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and transferred all of its motorsports operations to another wholly owned subsidiary of ours, Dover International Speedway, Inc. Consequently, Dover Downs, Inc. became the operating entity for what previously comprised our gaming operations.

 

Effective March 31, 2002, the Company completed the tax-free spin-off of Dover Downs, Inc., its gaming business, by contributing 100% of the issued and outstanding common stock of Dover Downs, Inc. to Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. (“Gaming”), a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. On the effective date of the spin-off, the Company distributed all of the capital stock of Gaming to the Company’s stockholders on a pro-rata basis. The Company’s continuing operations subsequent to the spin-off consist solely of its motorsports activities.

 

 

2


Dover International Speedway

 

We have promoted NASCAR-sanctioned racing events for 36 consecutive years at Dover International Speedway and currently promote five major NASCAR-sanctioned events at the facility annually. Two races are in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series professional stock car racing circuit, two races are in the NASCAR Busch Series racing circuit and one race is in the Craftsman Truck Series racing circuit.

 

Each of the NASCAR Busch Series events and the Craftsman Truck Series event at Dover International Speedway are conducted on the days before a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. Dover International Speedway is one of only eight speedways in the country that presents two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events and two NASCAR Busch Series events each year. Additionally, the Company is one of only nine tracks to host three major NASCAR events at one facility on the same weekend. The June and September dates have historically allowed Dover International Speedway to hold the first and last NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events in the Maryland to Maine region each year. Our September event is the second of ten races in the “Race for the NEXTEL Cup” which determines the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion for the racing season.

 

Dover International Speedway is a high-banked, one-mile, concrete superspeedway with a seating capacity of approximately 140,000. Unlike some superspeedways, substantially all grandstand and skybox seats offer an unobstructed view of the entire track. The concrete racing surface makes Dover International Speedway the only concrete superspeedway (one mile or greater in length) that conducts NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events. During 2004, Dover International Speedway completed the construction of its DuPont Monster Bridge which debuted at the June 2004 NASCAR event weekend. The climate controlled DuPont Monster Bridge spans across the width of the superspeedway at a height of 29 feet and houses 50-luxury seats, refreshment bar and other amenities. The bridge is the only one of its kind in the motorsports industry and has a federal patent application pending.

 

Nashville Superspeedway

 

The Company acquired Nashville Speedway, USA, Inc. on January 2, 1998. To accommodate the demand for major motorsports events in the Nashville area, the Company constructed a new superspeedway and motorsports complex approximately 30 miles from downtown Nashville in Wilson County, Tennessee, that opened in April 2001. The 1.33-mile concrete superspeedway has 25,000 permanent grandstand seats with an infrastructure in place to expand to 150,000 seats as demand requires. Additionally, the first phase of construction included lights at the superspeedway to allow for nighttime racing and the foundation work for a dirt track, short track and drag strip, which may be completed in the future. Nashville Superspeedway promoted two NASCAR Busch Series events, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, an IRL event and other regional and national touring events during the 2004 season.

 

Grand Prix Association of Long Beach

 

The Company acquired Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, Inc. (“Grand Prix”) on July 1, 1998. For the past 30 years, Grand Prix has organized and promoted the Grand Prix of Long Beach, an annual temporary circuit professional motorsports event run on the streets of Long Beach, California. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is a CCWS-sanctioned event and has the second highest paid attendance of any Indy-style car race promoted in the United States of America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.

 

On March 25, 2004, Grand Prix reached an agreement with CCWS (f/k/a Open Wheel Racing Series, LLC), the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (“CART”), to transfer to CCWS certain assets and rights that Grand Prix had relative to the organization and promotion of the Grand Prix of Denver. Grand Prix had a multi-year agreement with the City of Denver pursuant to which it was entitled to stage an annual auto racing event in and around the PepsiCenter in Denver. Grand Prix assigned to CCWS its rights in this agreement and the City consented to the assignment on July 27, 2004.

 

3


Gateway International Raceway

 

Gateway International Raceway (“Gateway”), acquired in the Grand Prix acquisition, promoted three major events in 2004. These events were sanctioned by NASCAR and NHRA. The facility also hosts a number of regional and national touring events, as well as weekly events on its drag strip and road course.

 

The auto racing facility includes a 1.25-mile paved oval track with 55,000 permanent seats, a nationally renowned drag strip capable of seating approximately 30,000 people and a road course. The facility, which is equipped with lights for nighttime racing, is located just across the Mississippi River in Madison, Illinois, within view of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

 

Memphis Motorsports Park

 

Memphis Motorsports Park (“Memphis”), also acquired in the Grand Prix acquisition, promoted three major events in 2004. These events were sanctioned by NASCAR and NHRA. The facility also hosts a number of regional and national touring events, as well as weekly events on its drag strip and dirt track.

 

The auto racing facility includes a 0.75-mile paved tri-oval track with approximately 16,000 permanent seats, a nationally renowned drag strip capable of seating approximately 25,000 people, a 0.25-mile dirt track and a road course. The facility is located approximately 10 miles northeast of downtown Memphis, Tennessee.

 

Competition

 

The Company’s racing events compete with other racing events sanctioned by various racing bodies and with other sports and recreational events scheduled on the same dates. Racing events sanctioned by different organizations are often held on the same dates at different tracks. The quality of the competition, type of racing event, caliber of the event, sight lines, ticket pricing, location and customer conveniences, among other things, differentiate the motorsports facilities.

 

Seasonality

 

DVD derives a substantial portion of its total revenues from admissions, television broadcast rights and other event-related revenue attributable to its major motorsports events held from April through October. As a result, DVD’s business is highly seasonal.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2004, DVD had approximately 161 full-time employees and 21 part-time employees. We engage temporary personnel to assist during our motorsports racing season, many of whom are volunteers. We believe that we enjoy a good relationship with our employees.

 

Available Information

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, information statements and other information with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The public may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.

 

Internet Address

 

We maintain a website where additional information concerning our business and various upcoming events can be found. The address of our Internet website is http://www.dovermotorsportsinc.com. We provide a link on our website, under Investor Relations, to our filings with the SEC, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports.

 

4


Item 2. Properties

 

Dover International Speedway

 

Dover International Speedway is located in Dover, Delaware, on approximately 757 acres of land owned by the Company. Use by Gaming of the Company’s 5/8-mile harness racing track is under an easement granted by the Company which does not require the payment of any rent. Under the terms of the easement, Gaming has exclusive use of the harness track during the period beginning November 1 of each year and ending April 30 of the following year, together with set up and tear down rights for the two weeks before and after such period. The harness track is located on property owned by the Company and is on the inside of its one-mile motorsports superspeedway. Gaming’s indoor grandstands are used by the Company at no charge in connection with its motorsports events. The Company also leases its principal executive office space from Gaming. Various easements and agreements relative to access, utilities and parking have also been entered into between the Company and Gaming relative to their respective Dover, Delaware facilities.

 

Nashville Superspeedway

 

Nashville Superspeedway is located on approximately 1,465 acres of land owned by the Company in Wilson County and Rutherford County, Tennessee.

 

Long Beach

 

Grand Prix owns its office at 3000 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, California, which consists of approximately 82,000 square feet of land and a building with approximately 50,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. Grand Prix leases a 750-square foot ticket office in downtown Long Beach for the sale of tickets and leases storage facilities in Long Beach for its equipment and structures.

 

Gateway International Raceway

 

Gateway International Raceway is located on approximately 350 acres of land in Madison, Illinois, five miles from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Company owns approximately 130 acres and has three long-term leases with purchase options (expiring in 2011, 2025 and 2070) for approximately 200 additional acres. The Company is also a party to a ten-year lease (with four five-year renewals) for 20 acres for the purpose of providing overflow parking for major events on a neighboring golf course. The Company has granted a first mortgage lien on all the real property owned and a security interest in all property leased by the Company at Gateway to Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (“SWIDA”) as security for the repayment of principal and interest on its remaining $18.5 million loan from SWIDA.

 

Memphis Motorsports Park

 

Memphis Motorsports Park is located on approximately 350 acres of land owned by the Company approximately ten miles northeast of downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The facility is encumbered by a first trust deed to First Tennessee Bank for the purpose of securing a stand-by letter of credit issued by First Tennessee Bank to Gateway International Motorsports Corporation to satisfy its debt service reserve fund obligation to SWIDA.

 

Other

 

As of December 31, 2004, all available assets of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries were encumbered by a first priority perfected security interest and lien in favor of Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company as security for the repayment of principal outstanding under the Company’s revolving credit facility.

 

5


Item 3. Legal Proceedings

 

The Company is a party to ordinary routine litigation incidental to its business. Management does not believe that the resolution of any of these matters is likely to have a serious adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

Item 4. Submission Of Matters To A Vote Of Security Holders

 

No matters were submitted during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report to a vote of security holders.

 

Part II

 

Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters And Issuer Purchases Of Equity Securities

 

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DVD.” The Company’s Class A common stock is not publicly traded but is freely convertible on a one-for-one basis into DVD common stock at any time at the option of the holder thereof. As of February 28, 2005, there were 17,061,426 shares of common stock and 23,240,185 shares of Class A common stock outstanding. There were 1,246 holders of record for common stock and 16 holders of record for Class A common stock.

 

The high and low sales prices for the Company’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange and the dividends declared per share for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 are detailed in the following table:

 

Quarter Ended:


   High

   Low

  

Dividends

Declared


December 31, 2004

   $ 6.10    $ 4.16    $ 0.01

September 30, 2004

     4.76      3.83      0.01

June 30, 2004

     5.53      3.84      0.01

March 31, 2004

     4.23      3.51      0.01

December 31, 2003

   $ 4.35    $ 3.50    $ 0.01

September 30, 2003

     4.74      3.75      0.01

June 30, 2003

     4.11      3.07      0.01

March 31, 2003

     5.08      3.18      0.01

 

Our revolving credit agreement allows us to pay dividends in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices as long as we are not in default under the agreement.

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

The Company has a 1996 stock option plan (the “1996 Plan”) which provided for the grant of stock options to its officers and key employees. The Company’s Board of Directors has frozen the 1996 Plan and no additional option grants may be made under the 1996 Plan. The Company has a 2004 stock incentive plan (“the 2004 Plan”) which provides for the grant of up to 1,500,000 shares of stock to our officers and key employees through stock options and/or awards valued in whole or in part by reference to our common stock, such as restricted stock awards. Refer to NOTE 10 – Stockholders’ Equity of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.

 

6


Securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans at December 31, 2004 are as follows:

 

Plan Category


  

Number of

securities to be
issued upon

exercise of
outstanding
options, warrants
and rights


  

Weighted-average

exercise price of

outstanding

options, warrants

and rights


  

Number of securities

remaining available for
future issuance under

equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in
column (a))


     (a)    (b)    (c)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

   1,179,801    $ 5.70    1,391,000

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

   —        —      —  
    
  

  

Total

   1,179,801    $ 5.70    1,391,000
    
  

  

 

On July 28, 2004, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 2,000,000 shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock. The purchases may be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions as conditions warrant. The repurchase authorization does not obligate the Company to acquire any specific number of shares and may be suspended at any time. As of December 31, 2004, there have been no repurchases of outstanding common stock pursuant to the authorization.

 

7


Item 6. Selected Financial Data

 

The following table summarizes certain selected historical financial data and should be read in conjunction with management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The historical financial information presented below is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations or financial position that DVD would have reported if it had operated exclusive of its discontinued gaming operation during the periods presented. See NOTE 2 – Discontinued Operation of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Five Year Selected Financial Data

 

     Years Ended December 31,

   

Six Months

Ended

Dec. 31,

2000


   

Year Ended

June 30,

2000


 
     2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

     

Consolidated Statement of Earnings Data
(in thousands, except per share data):

                                                

Revenues

   $ 93,617     $ 93,626     $ 93,731     $ 86,551     $ 39,045     $ 77,311  

Expenses:

                                                

Operating and marketing

     59,392       65,824       61,062       50,882       21,573       41,984  

Impairment charges (b)

     —         21,331       —         —         —         —    

General and administrative

     15,414       15,151       16,113       11,408       4,661       8,578  

Depreciation and amortization

     9,635       10,594       9,786       10,023       4,001       6,671  
    


 


 


 


 


 


       84,441       112,900       86,961       72,313       30,235       57,233  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Operating earnings (loss)

     9,176       (19,274 )     6,770       14,238       8,810       20,078  

Interest expense, net

     3,427       5,089       4,507       1,614       9       924  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income tax provision (benefit) and cumulative effect of accounting change

     5,749       (24,363 )     2,263       12,624       8,801       19,154  

Income tax provision (benefit)

     3,309       (2,225 )     852       5,753       3,945       8,181  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before cumulative effect of accounting change

     2,440       (22,138 )     1,411       6,871       4,856       10,973  

Cumulative effect of accounting change (a)

     —         —         (28,606 )     —         —         —    
    


 


 


 


 


 


Earnings (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 2,440     $ (22,138 )   $ (27,195 )   $ 6,871     $ 4,856     $ 10,973  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Earnings (loss) per common share – basic:

                                                

Continuing operations before accounting change

   $ 0.06     $ (0.56 )   $ 0.04     $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.30  

Accounting change

     —         —         (0.74 )     —         —         —    
    


 


 


 


 


 


Continuing operations

   $ 0.06     $ (0.56 )   $ (0.70 )   $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.30  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Earnings (loss) per common share – diluted:

                                                

Continuing operations before accounting change

   $ 0.06     $ (0.56 )   $ 0.04     $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.30  

Accounting change

     —         —         (0.73 )     —         —         —    
    


 


 


 


 


 


Continuing operations

   $ 0.06     $ (0.56 )   $ (0.69 )   $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.30  
    


 


 


 


 


 


Dividends declared

   $ 0.04     $ 0.04     $ 0.06     $ 0.18     $ 0.09     $ 0.18